London System
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 e6 3.Bf4 Bd6 4.Bg3 Nf6 5.e3 0-0 6.Bd3 c5 7.c3 Nc6 8.0-0
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| With both sides castling early, how would you assess the position? |
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Black has a bad bishop, but a little more space on the queenside, which has enabled the black queen's knight to occupy its 'normal' square, c6, while White's will probably have to be developed to the less-active d2 square. Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon the game is equal.
8...c4!?
It seems to me that whenever I play ...c4 in such positions, the engines disapprove, and whenever I do not play it, the engines reckon it is the best move. The engines are not keen on ...c4 here, but do not condemn it either.
9.Bc2 Bxg3!?
Giving up White's good bishop, but slightly weakening the white king's position. The text is Stockfish17.1's top choice, but Dragon1 prefers 9...b5.
10.hxg3 b5
The engines suggest two apparent-novelties in 10...Qb6!? and 10...Qc7!?, narrowly preferring the latter, which transposes to a known position. Play might continue 11.Nbd2 e5 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Qxe5 14.Nf3 Qh5, when Black has opened a diagonal for the c8 bishop, but has been saddled with a backward pawn on a half-open file. Equal chances, according to the engines.
11.Nbd2
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| White is ready to break in the centre with e4 - how should Black react? |
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11...e5?
An unjustified pawn sacrifice. The engines make various suggestions, including 11...Qc7, 11...Rb8, 11...b4 and 11...Bb7, but agree they all leave White slightly better.
12.Nxe5
12.dxe5? Ng4 lets Black, at least partially, off the hook.
12...Nxe5 13.dxe5 Ng4 14.e4?
The obvious 14.Nf3 is strong, and if 14...Re8, then 15.Qd4.
14...Nxe5?
Much better, according to the engines, is 14...d4 15.cxd4 Qxd4, although 16.Nf3!? Qxb2 17.Rb1 Qxa2 18.Rxb5 is tricky for both sides to play.
15.Qe2?
Again the best move is the obvious one, this time 15.exd5, after which the engines reckon White has the upper hand.
15...Re8?!
Again ...d4 seems to be the way to go, and is even better for Black, according to the engines, than it is in the note to Black's 14th move,
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| How should White proceed? |
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16.f4?
Dubious is 16.exd5?! Bg4, when 17.f3? Nxf3+ is a disaster for White, but 17.Qe4 Nf3+ 18.gxf3 Rxe4 19.Bxe4 keeps White in the game. However, the engines reckon 16.Qe3 is equal.
16...Ng4 17.f5?
This makes a bad situation much worse, according to the engines, which reckon best is 17.e5, although 17...Qb6+ wins the exchange, as in the game. The main alternative is 17.Nf3!? Qb6+ 18.Nd4 Qh6 19.Nf3, when 19...dxe4 20.Nh4 Qb6+ 21.Kh1, which does not look so bad at first, but the engines reckon Black's advantage is roughly the equivalent of being up a minor piece and a pawn.
17...Qb6+ 18.Rf2 Nxf2
Even stronger is 18...Bxf5!
19.Qxf2 Qxf2+ 20.Kxf2 Bb7 21.Re1 dxe4 22.Nxe4 f6 23.Kf3 Rad8 24.Re2 Kf7
The engines point out the strength of 24...Rd3+! 25.Bxd3 cxd3 26.Re1 Rxe4!
25.g4 g6
Still strong is ...Rd3+.
26.g3 Re5 27.Kf4 Bc8?
This loses a lot of Black's advantage, and gives White a chance to complicate. Best, according to the engines, is 27...Bxe4!? 28.Bxe4 Rde8, eg 29.Kf3 Kg7!? 30.Kf4 h5!? 31.fxg6 hxg4, with ...f5 to come.
28.Ng5+??
Not only does this drop a piece, but it also misses 28.Rh2!?, after which Black probably has only one winning continuation.
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| Analysis diagram - position after 28.Rh2!? |
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Black can easily go wrong, eg 28...Kg7? runs into 29.Nxf6! Kxf6 30.g5+ Kf7 (30...Kg7? 31.f6+) 31.Kxe5 Bxf5!? 32.Rxh7+ Kg8 33.Rh2, when White has at least the upper hand (Dragon1) and may even be winning (Stockfish17.1).
Protecting the h pawn with 28...Rh8?! allows 29.Nd6+ fxg6, when the engines reckon White has equalised.
However, 28...gxf5!? 29.Ng5+!? (29.Rxh7+? Kg6) Kg8 30.Nxh7 Kg7 31.g5!? Re1! 32.Nxf6 Rh8 wins, according to the engines, and the simpler 28...Bxf5!? may also give Black an advantage.
Back to the game.
28...fxg5+ 0-1
That was a good win,on the same day Wolves won!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to think my win was the less surprising ...
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